‘Tis The Bowl Season

Four teams, three games, two days and 1 champion. The college football playoff will begin soon and there are four teams vying for the crown of champion. Let’s look at how they got there.

Sitting at number 4 is the Oklahoma Sooners. Baker Mayfield didn’t quite make the Heisman finalist list, but I think he’s ok with a final 4 berth. The Big 12 champs got away without playing a conference title game. So they got an additional day to rest up, they have to love that. They have a tough one ahead.

At Number 3 are the men from Sparty, the Michigan State Spartans. A 9 minute drive that resulted in a TD won them the Big 10 crown over Iowa. Running the football is their bread and butter. But a healthy Connor Cook would help as well. A stout defense rounds this team off, they are looking at the SEC Champs.

Coming in at 2 is the SEC Champs, the Alabama Crimson Tide. This is the second straight playoff appearance for Coach Saban and the Tide. Derrick Henry and Jake Coker are unbelievable offensive weapons. Along with the second straight appearance, it’s their second straight playoff game against a Big 10 opponent. They’ll look to be better this time around after losing to Ohio State last season. They’ll match up well with MSU.

And number 1 is coach Dabo and Clemson. The “BYOG” or “Bring Your Own Guts” factor was huge in the controversial win over UNC. But the Tigers remained unbeaten and have a great QB in Deshaun Watson. Watson is a Heisman finalist and will look to have a day against Oklahoma. Clemson is a tough team with a lot of heart; they’ll be a tough team to beat.

Before I go into the playoff picks, here are a couple interesting games. Stanford and Iowa will play each other in the Rose Bowl. A battle of two teams with a superstar QB, Kevin Hogan from Stanford and CJ Beathard from Iowa. Don’t forget about Christian McCaffrey, the sophomore RB from Stanford. This game will be arguably the showstopper of the entire bowl season.

Notre Dame and Ohio State will meet in the Fiesta Bowl. It should be an interesting matchup, coaching and Quarterback wise. But the x-factor is the defensive star is Joey Bosa, a kid who could go 1 in next year’s draft. I really am torn at who could win this game, mainly because it’s so unpredictable especially when Urban Meyer and Brian Kelly meet.

I really like Clemson over Oklahoma and Michigan State over Bama. I think Clemson game is high scoring and fast paced. MSU and Bama have a ground and pound style of game, with Sparty coming out in the end. The finale? I got to go with the unbeaten. If Cook is healthy it’s an interesting matchup. I think Watson is too good for MSU to stop.